Breed Standards

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LARGE FOWL

Origin: France Classification: Heavy : Soft Feather Egg Colour : Dark Brown

Taking its name from the town of Marans in France, this breed has in its make-up such breeds as Coucou del Malines, Croad Langshan, Rennes, Faverolles, barred Rock, Brakel and Gatinaise. Imported into this country round about 1929, it has developed as a dual-purpose sitting breed.  Like other barred breeds the cuckoo Marans female can be mated with the males of other suitable unbarred breeds to give the sex-linked offspring of the white head-spot distinguishing characteristic

General Characteristics : male

Carriage: Active, compact and graceful

Type:  Body of medium length with good width and depth throughout; front broad, full and deep. Breast long, well fleshed, of good width, and without keeliness. Tail well carried, high. 

Head: Refined, Beak deep and of medium size. Eyes large and prominent; pupils large and defined. Comb single, medium size, straight, erect, with five to seven serrations, and of fine texture. Face smooth. Wattles of medium size and fine texture.

Neck: Of medium length and not to profusely feathered. 

Legs and feet: Legs of medium length, wide apart, and good quality bone. Thighs well fleshed, but not heavy in bone. Shanks clean and unfeathered. Toes, four, well spread and straight.

Plumage: Fairly tight and of silky texture generally..

Handling: Firm, as befits a table bird. Flesh white, and skin of fine texture.

Female. 

General characteristics similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences. Table and laying qualities to be taken into account jointly.

THE BLACK

Male and female plumage: Black with a beetle-green sheen.

THE DARK CUCKOO

Male and female plumage: Cuckoo throughout, each feather marked across with bands of blue-black. A lighter shaded neck in both male and female, and also back in the male, is permissible if definitely banded. Cuckoo throughout is the ideal, as even as possible.

THE GOLDEN CUCKOO

Male plumage: Hackles bluish-grey with golden and black bands, neck paler than saddle. Breast bluish-grey with black bands, pale golden shading on upper part. Thighs and fluff light bluish-grey with medium black banding. Back, shoulders and wing bows bluish-grey with rich bright golden and black bands. Wing bars bluish-grey with black bands, golden fringe permissible. Wings, primaries dark blue-grey, lightly banded, secondaries dark blue-grey, lightly banded, with slight golden fringe. Tail dark blue-grey banded with black, coverts blue-grey banded with black. General cuckoo markings. 

Female plumage: Hackle medium bluish-grey with golden and black bands. Breast dark bluish-grey with black bands, pale golden shading on upper parts. Remainder dark bluish-grey with dark black bands. Cuckoo markings.

THE SILVER CUCKOO

Male plumage: Mainly white in neck and showing white on upper part of breast, also on top. Remainder banded throughout, with lighter ground colour than the dark cuckoo. 

Female plumage; Mainly white in neck and showing white on upper part of breast. Remainder banded throughout, with lighter ground colour than the dark cuckoo. 

IN BOTH SEXES AND ALL COLOURS

Beak, white or horn. Eyes red or bright orange preferred. Comb, face, wattles and earlobes red. Legs and feet white.

WEIGHTS.

Cock 3.60kg (8lb) Cockerel 3.20kg (7lb) Hen 3.20kg (7lb) Pullet 2.70kg (6lb) 

SCALE OF POINTS 

Type, carriage and table merits (to include type of breast and fleshing, also quality of flesh) (40 points); Size and quality (20 points); Colour and markings (15 points); Head (10 points); Condition (10 points); Legs and Feet (5 points) = Total 100 points

SERIOUS DEFECTS

Feathered shanks. General coarseness. Lack of activity. Superfine bone. Any points against utility or reproductive values. White in lobe.

Defects (for which a bird may be passed) 

Deformities, crooked breast bone, other than four toes, etc.

Defects (in blacks) 

Restricted white in undercolour in both sexes. A little darkish pigmentation in white shanks. 

BANTAM

Marans bantams should be true miniatures of their large fowl counterparts. No black bantam variety is standardized. 

WEIGHTS

Cock 910g  (32oz) Cockerel 790g  (28oz) Hen 790g  (28oz) Pullet 680g (24oz)